UBS Group AG Sells 43,788 Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Key Points

• UBS Group AG cut its stake in Essex Property Trust by 15.9%, selling 43,788 shares and leaving it with 231,902 shares worth about $60.68 million (roughly 0.36% ownership).
• Quarterly EPS missed: Essex reported $1.65 EPS versus analysts' $3.96 estimate (a sizable miss) while revenue was $484.76 million, and management set Q2 2026 guidance of $3.920–$4.040 EPS.
• Essex raised its quarterly dividend to $2.59 (annualized $10.36) for a 3.9% yield, but the payout ratio is high at 116.4%.

UBS Group AG cut its holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 15.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 231,902 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 43,788 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned about 0.36% of Essex Property Trust worth $60,684,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ESS. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 57.5% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 115 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 120.0% during the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 176 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Essex Property Trust during the third quarter valued at $51,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in Essex Property Trust during the second quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 351.6% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. 96.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on ESS. Scotiabank dropped their target price on Essex Property Trust from $284.00 to $278.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their target price on Essex Property Trust from $267.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Raymond James Financial restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Piper Sandler upgraded Essex Property Trust from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Essex Property Trust from $278.00 to $281.50 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $282.97.

Essex Property Trust Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of ESS stock opened at $264.30 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $238.46 and a 52-week high of $294.09. The company has a market capitalization of $16.98 billion, a PE ratio of 29.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.25 and a beta of 0.71. The business's fifty day moving average is $251.76 and its 200 day moving average is $254.96.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.96 by ($2.31). Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 10.00% and a net margin of 30.03%.The business had revenue of $484.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $479.89 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.97 EPS. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $2.59 dividend. This is a boost from Essex Property Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Essex Property Trust's payout ratio is currently 116.40%.

Essex Property Trust Profile

Essex Property Trust, Inc NYSE: ESS is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that acquires, develops, owns and operates multifamily residential properties. The company focuses on market-rate apartment communities and delivers a full suite of property services including leasing, resident services, asset management, and capital improvement programs designed to preserve and enhance long‑term property values.

Essex concentrates its portfolio in West Coast markets, with a significant presence in California and the Pacific Northwest.

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